Everything Lost
by Mermaid Mommy 2015
Summary: Vegeta is a cold-hearted Saiyan with a soft side only those who know him well have seen; but how did he get this way? Frieza merely pushed the Prince further into his emotional solitude, but what happened before that brought him there? And what exactly did Frieza do to send him off the edge?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A Prince is Born

It had been twelve long hours of labor, and the Queen was in a state of desperate action. The doctors had no comforting words to give her, and of course her husband wasn't there; he had much more important matters to attend to. She let out a soft groan, one last plea for this child to be born. The doctors hovered around her like vultures, speaking to one another, but she couldn't understand their words anymore.  
"My lady," the younger physician spoke carefully, "the baby is crowning. I think two more big pushes will do it." Her chest heaved. Two more pushes. She could do this; just two more. She gathered up the last of her strength and pushed, her bloodcurdling scream rattling the walls. "The child was almost out! Get the towels ready!" The younger physician barked at the underlings, whom scampered about the room to gather the supplies. "One more push!" Once again, she gathered what she could muster and pushed; she didn't even have enough energy to scream this time, rather, she just sighed and fell back. A cry, small and shrill, filled her ears and she smiled. "Prince Vegeta has been born!"  
"Let me hold my baby!" She demanded, reaching out her weary arms to the chubby bundle.  
"With all due respect, my Queen, let us check him first." She hesitantly agreed while the doctors and underlings inspected and cleaned him. "He weighs six pounds even, with a length of nineteen inches, and he's very healthy, my Queen. He's beautiful as well; I'm sure the King will be proud." The physician handed her the swaddled child, the Prince, the reason for her being, and she held him against her breast. He sought out her nipple and began to nurse, all the while astonishing his young mother. He truly was perfect; his hair was an ebony black, his skin was soft and pale, like hers, but he looked like his handsome father. Joy spilled into her heart, pouring out onto her face. He finished nursing that side and switched him over to the other. She never knew she could feel something like this.  
"My son has been born!" King Vegeta threw open the doors and disturbed the peaceful thoughts of his Queen, and scaring his newborn son. "And what a pair of lungs! Caulli, let me see the Prince-" He stopped dead in his tracks. "Is he supposed to be so small?"  
"He's a little on the smaller side, my King, but Queen Caulli did have him a bit earlier than anticipated. It's nothing that can't be fixed over time." King Vegeta nodded and picked up his son.  
"He looks just like you, my King," Caulli smiled, realizing how weak she still felt.  
"Indeed he does! YOU! Servant girl!" He paralyzed a young underling dead in her tracks. "Tell the cooks to prepare a feast tonight! We will have a celebration in honor of the new Prince Vegeta!" The skittish girl nodded and sprinted off. King Vegeta handed his son back to his mother and left, his chest puffed up with pride. The Queen held her son closely, but could feel herself falling asleep. The young physician took the Prince to the nursery so she could drift off and get some rest in the healing chambers.

The Queen had managed to regain a majority of her strength back in time for the celebration that night. She dressed in her dark blue, satin, empire-waist gown made specifically for such an occasion, with her hair pulled back and left to cascade across her slender, pale shoulders. Black eye shadow was swept across her already dark eyes, and bright red stained her pursed lips. She wouldn't be able to enjoy wine for a while, but at the very least she could eat again; pregnancy had left her frail and sick, and she was ready to catch up on the months of food her Little Prince had denied her. The Little Prince was looking rather dashing himself, dressed in the same princely smock his father had worn when he was born.

The dining room was elegant and quietly buzzing with anticipated chatter. The entire royal family lined both sides of the table, which made Caullie feel small and insignificant compared to all of them. She was new blood, a peasant chosen by King Vegeta himself to be his wife. She had been declared the most beautiful of the Saiyan women, but compared to all of the ostentatiously dressed ladies before her, she could feel her knees begin to buckle. She stood in the doorway, unnoticed and hesitant, swallowing a lump that had formed almost instantly in her throat. _'How can I compare to these women?'_ Her lip began to quiver. She had been dropped as a child, thrown off a ledge and left as a meal to wild things, but was discovered by her adoptive mother who cared for her. Any destructive forces within her had disappeared with injury, and she lived a timid life as a farmer's daughter. Her adoptive father had tried to teach her how to fight, as well as her older brothers, but to no avail; she was very weak and very uncoordinated. Her parents couldn't believe their ears when the King had strolled through their village and declared their little Caulli the most gorgeous thing he had ever lay his eyes upon, and gladly sent her and her small dowry with him to be wed, only a year before, almost to the day.  
"Are you ready, my love?" King Vegeta's warm arm snaked around her waist. Even though he was a cold man, she had grown fond of him; and he made her feel like she was the strongest woman in the universe. She nodded, giving him a light peck on the cheek. The King smirked and pushed the doors all the way open, revealing themselves to the crowd, who stood and clapped in acknowledgment. "These are your people," He whispered softly as they waved and made their way to the head of the table.

"These are my people." She smiled, and snuggled the sleeping child in her arms.

 **Author's Note:**  
So, what does everyone think? I know I'm a bit rusty, but hopefully that will improve the more I write. While I wrote this, I considered maybe a short story (3-5 chapters) about Caulli, and how her and King Vegeta met, up to the honeymoon stage. I just really, really like origin stories. Also, I'm using a timeline I found on Wikia, and it's the only one I was really able to find in such great detail. I'm assuming that Planet Vegeta was at least somewhat lush, to grow vegetables and sustain life and all, as well. I feel like the further into Frieza's reign, the worse off everything became because they were being exhausted of resources. OH! Also, Frieza has annexed them for a year at this point. I'm assuming that's where they got all of their money, but I couldn't really find anything on that, but it's what I'm going to go with. The next chapters are going to focus more on our favorite little Prince, with some parts about his mother and father's relationship. I've already started writing that chapter, so it should be up soon, and it should be a little longer than this one. Anyway, please review and let me know how this chapter was, and let me know if you all would like to have an origin story about Caulli and King Vegeta. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Little Prince

"Little Prince!" A cherub-faced child with sticky hands called out. "Little Prince! I'm going to find you!" All the children except for Prince Vegeta had been found. "Hey!" The child crossed his arms and stomped his foot. "This is cheating! You're cheating!"  
"I am not!" The little Prince shouted, balling his fists and coming out from underneath a heavily thorned bush. All the children giggled, and Prince Vegeta blushed at his stupidity. He fell for this, every, single, time.  
"Found you! Now you're it!" All the children scattered while the small boy mumbled his numbers, annoyed at himself for being outwitted by other children. Even though he was three, he already had pride and sense of self worth. He considered himself beneath these childish games, but his mother insisted that he play with other children his own age sometime rather than be stuck inside the extravagant walls all day.  
"Ready or not, here I come! You better be hiding good, you maggots!" He charged off toward the giggling other children who were, to say the least, not cleverly hidden at all. He found them all with ease, and smiled triumphantly about it. "Now it's someone else's turn! I hate being the counter!"  
"You haven't found Zucchni, yet," One of the other children chimed, "so, you're still it! Nyah-nyah!" Vegeta growled at the mockery of the child, but went to find the elusive Zucchni.

She wasn't hard to find, and the young prince couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't found her the first time around. "Give up now, little girl, for your time has come, and you-" The Little Prince got the wind knocked out of him. He fell to the ground, clenching his stomach. "Who dares to hit the Prince of all Saiyans..?!"  
"I do!" The little Prince opened his eyes to see a girl around his age hovering over him, a lopsided grin plastered across her face. "And I'll do it again, too!" Vegeta quickly jumped to his feet and brushed himself off.  
"Who the hell are you?" It made him feel regal to use vulgarity, but he knew if his mother heard him, she'd scold him.  
"I'm Zucchni, and I'm not scared of you." She continued to grin. She was dirty, her hair a knotted mess, but by her clothing Vegeta could tell she was of royal blood. Her face was round, her eyes were bright, and she had missing teeth in the front. Something about her made Vegeta's little stomach twist and flutter.

"Little Prince! Little Prince, where are you?" Vegeta heard his mother call out for him. Vegeta didn't answer, but stared the little girl down. "Vegeta! There you are! You answer me when I call you." His mother maneuvered her awkward pregnant belly around and kneeled to pick him up. "Who's your little friend, Prince?"  
"My name is Zucchni, and I'm three." She smiled big, holding up her three fingers proudly.  
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Miss Zucchni. But I'm afraid it's getting dark so the Little Prince has to come inside now. You should probably get home, too. But feel free to come by again, anytime!" The little girl scampered off happily. Caulli carried her brooding son indoors and towards a bath.

"Mama," Prince said quietly, so no one would hear, "who was that little girl?" Caulli smiled. She loved giving her Little Prince baths. It was the only time they could really be themselves without the judgment of the King or servants.  
"I'm not sure, my sweet, but she had on royal clothes, so I'm sure you're father will. Why do you ask?"  
Vegeta scrunched his nose. "She made me feel... strange."  
"How so?" Caulli scrubbed at the dirt magnet that was his hair.  
"I wanted to smile, but be mad at the same time." Caulli let out a laugh. The Little Prince blushed and looked down at his reflection in the soapy water.  
"You have a crush, dear. You _like_ her. It's perfectly normal." She kissed his forehead and began to rinse his hair. "Close your eyes." Vegeta listened to his mother and closed his eyes. The warm water ran down his face and the Little Prince relaxed his tense little muscles for a moment. But perhaps too much, because he opened his eyes and the hot sting of soapy water made him cry out in pain. "Vegeta!" Caulli grabbed him quickly and stood, water splashing everywhere. Tears ran down his face as he wailed and rubbed his eyes frantically. "Vegeta, stop, you're making it wor- Ahh!" The Queen fell to her knees, dropping the young prince. She grabbed her belly with one arm, using the other one to hold herself up. Vegeta's head bounced off the floor, resulting in louder wails. They were short lived, however, for the Little Prince's concern grew for his mother as he noticed her in pain on the floor.  
"Mommy..." He wiped away some tears and reached for his crumpled mother. "Mommy, what's wrong?"  
"Vegeta," her voice was raspy and forced, "go get your father, quickly!" The pain was almost too much for her to bear, but she wouldn't cry in front of her baby.  
"But, Mommy, what's wrong?"  
"Go, NOW!" She had never yelled at him before, and she could see the hurt in his face. It killed her, but she needed help, and fast. The Little Prince nodded and ran.

Vegeta ran naked, cold, and wet toward the throne room, tears blurring his vision. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally made it to the engraved doors and with all his strength, pushed them open. His father was in the middle of the meeting with some of his army. The King spun around, his eyes blazing rage as to being disturbed. His face softened briefly as to seeing his son in such a condition. He spoke, his voice bellowing out throughout the room. "What is the meaning of this?" Snot had started to run down the Little Prince's mouth. He wiped it away and tried to look as dignified in front of his father and his men as possible. But he had started to sob, and speaking became difficult. His father began to stride across the room, much to Vegeta's relief. As his father neared, he outstretched his arms to be picked up. The King stood in front of his naked son for a second, staring at the pathetic little thing; then, in a quick motion, slapped him across the face. "No son of mine cries."

"I have another son!" The Little Prince heard his father shout. The underlings and physicians had been in and out of the delivery room for what seemed like forever to the child. He had never felt so alone, and they wouldn't even let him see his Mother; but oh, had he heard her scream. Screaming, crying, and calling out for his father. Of course, the King had to finish up his meeting; he had business to discuss and it couldn't wait. Not even one of the underling girls sought to comfort the handsome prince, as they were all too busy dealing with his mother or serving the men in the throne room. The Little Prince swung his legs back and forth, remembering his father's words and holding back a threatening stream of tears.

Finally, the door opened.

The Little Prince looked up, hopeful it was his Mother. But instead, it was one of the underlings he was very familiar with, holding blood-drenched cloths. Vegeta jumped out of the chair and ran, the tears pouring again. "Mama!" One of the physicians caught him around the waist.  
"Oh, no, Little Prince." He fought against the stronghold, twisting and trying to find a meaty bit of flesh to connect his teeth with.  
"Let him come. I want to see him." Vegeta stopped, and began kicking and screaming.  
"Mama!"  
"But, my Queen, you're bleeding badly and we can't put you into the healing chamber until we can get it under control-"  
"That's an order." The physician sat the hysterical child down. As soon as his feet hit, he took off running to his mother's bedside, and climbed in with her. She winced slightly, but otherwise smiled, wiping at the Little Prince's face. "Oh, my Little Prince. You look tired." She kissed his forehead.  
"Mama, what happened? I was so scared!" The little boy leaned in and wrapped his arms around her neck. Caulli laughed and rubbed his back reassuringly.  
"I had your brother today. He came a little early, so it made me sick when I had him. But don't worry anymore, Little Prince. I'm going to be okay." She could feel her shoulder dampen as his body trembled with each sob. "Calm down, calm down; everything is okay."  
"Queen Caulli, Prince Tarble has been stabilized. Other than being born early, he's healthy; but we are going to keep him for a few days for observation, just to be safe." The tired Queen patted her eldest son's back. She remembered how tiny he had been, and he wasn't nearly as early as this child. She hadn't even gotten to see her baby yet; she was worried about him. She kept her voice as even as she could.  
"How big was he?" Her voice cracked, and she hoped the physician hadn't noticed. The man smiled, catching the Queen off guard.  
"He's surprisingly large for being two months premature, my Queen. We believe that is why you went into labor so early, due to his combined weight and the weight of the Little Prince, especially since you picked him up so quickly."  
"So, how big was he?" Her voice was slightly annoyed at having to repeat herself. She usually wasn't so callous, but she was tired and hurting.  
"Eight and a half pounds, twenty inches long." He responded quickly. He spouted off a few more things before running off to check on the newest prince. Vegeta, once calmed, curled up next to his mother. His tail wrapped around her arm, and he fell asleep. Caulli smiled, having not spent a night together with her Little Prince since he was an infant. The underlings scurried around her, trying to get her bleeding to stop, but in this moment, she felt at peace and sheer happiness wash over; the pain dissipated and all she felt was the warmth of her sweet boy, and his steady heartbeat.

"What is this?!" The King stormed into the room, startling the Little Prince and his mother out of their slumber. "I come to check on my wife, and I find my son, the Prince of all Saiyans, coddled to her like a suckling pig?!" Before Caulli could answer, her husband had snatched up her son by the tail. The Little Prince cried out as his father's grip tightened on one of the most sensitive parts of his body. Once again, his father recoiled and slapped him harder than the night before, in the same spot. The Little Prince, despite all his pain and humiliation, wiped his face and stopped crying.

"What are you doing?!" Caulli lurched out of her bed, stumbling to her knees. She had forgotten how badly she was hurting; she ignored the pain and grabbed her husband around the waist. "Vegeta, please, don't do this..."  
Ignoring her cries, he sat his son down. The Little Prince stared at the floor, too ashamed to look his father in the eyes. "Starting tomorrow, your training intensifies; say goodbye to your mother, because you won't be seeing her again until you learn your role as the Prince of all Saiyans." The Prince jerked his face upward to is father; what did he mean? Caulli wrapped her arms around her son as tightly as should could.  
"My King, please, don't do this," she quietly pleaded, tears flowing freely down her face, "I can't be without my son. He's my whole world." King Vegeta stared down at his feeble wife, the hurt radiating from her face. He didn't want to do this, but he had no choice; the meeting he had with his men only confirmed his fears that soon, they would need all the strong warriors they could get.  
The Little Prince still stood in awe. He couldn't process all of this. His mother and father spoke more, but he didn't understand their words. His mother buried her face in his hair and sobbed harder; he hugged her back, as tightly as he could. He held back tears in fear that his father would see, and he didn't want to be slapped in the face again. After a long while, his mother pulled back and smiled at him. "I love you, Little Prince." She kissed his forehead. King Vegeta grabbed him by his arm and jerked him out of the room and away from his mother.

The physician broached her carefully, speaking softly to the heartbroken woman. "Queen Caulli, we need to get you into the healing chambers immediately." She didn't speak, but only nodded gently. Some underlings helped her to her feet and assisted her to the chambers. It only took a few moments for her to begin to feel better, but her heart was still wrenching over her children. Her husband was taking her son to Frieza's ship to train. They suspected tyranny; a war would be happening soon. Her eldest son had the highest of power levels and the King wanted to harness that power as soon as possible. Up until this point, she had convinced her otherwise lenient husband to her whim, saying he needed to enjoy a little bit of a childhood before becoming an elite warrior took over his life. Her chest heaved as she sobbed within the chambers; at least he had gotten these three years. She didn't know when she would see her baby boy again and she didn't want to think about the stretch of time that would come to pass until then.

 **Author's Note:**  
As always, please review!  
Anyway, this chapter was longer and more detailed than the first. I've proofread as well, but please excuse any errors I may have missed, I've had a cranky 5-month-old on my lap through typing half of this, and he's been batting at the keyboard nonstop. But I hope you all liked the chapter; I'll be working on getting the next chapter up as soon as possible. Happy Fourth of July everyone!


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